The Wiz
The dazzling Tony Winning musical returns with a brand new staging for the 21st century!
Why see The Wiz?
Coming to an Emerald City Near You!
The seven-time Tony-winning hit, "The Wiz," is back with a brand new tour the first in 40 years! The soul, gospel, funk, and R&B-fused reimagining of Frank L. Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" is taking to the road on the second leg of its tour in a brand new production directed by Schele Williams, presenting William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls' vibrant musical for the 21st century. With additional material by Amber Ruffin and choreography by Jaquel Knight, join Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, Scarecrow, and Lion as they boogie down the Yellow Brick Road in search of heart, knowledge, courage, and home!
What Is The Story Of The Wiz?
It's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but not quite as you know it. Written by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown, The Wiz reimagines the story of Dorothy and Co. with an entirely African-American cast and a score infused with infectious gospel and soul. The show's best-known numbers are 'Be the Lion' and 'Ease on Down the Road'.
Originally debuting on Broadway in 1975, The Wiz won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, and was later adapted into the cult movie of the same, which starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
Key Information
Run Time
Two hours and 20 minutes with one interval
Dates
Finished Jul 2, 2023
Cast
- Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy
- Alan Mingo Jr as The Wiz (selected dates)
- Wayne Brady as The Wiz (selected dates)
- Deborah Cox as Glinda
- Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em/ Evillene
- Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion
- Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman
- Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow
Further cast
Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareen Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate and Keenan D. Washington.
Creative
Book by William F. Brown
Music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls
Additional material Amber Ruffin
Directed by Schele Williams
Choreographed by JaQuel Knigh
Music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangement by Joseph Joubert
Reviews
Customer reviews
26 reviews, average rating: (4.0 Stars)
C Wharton
Profoundly Pleased
Lights, camera, action..humor, angelic voices, dancing, stepping, marching to the beat...WOW!!! This show in ATL was phenomenal. While the script stayed true to originality, the script added relevancy to today as well. The costumes were beautiful and radiant, the backdrops were superb, and the acting was top notch. I felt as if I was in NY on Broadway. Well done to all. The scarecrow was perhaps my favorite albeit I did not have a a disappointing moment for any of them. If there are any seats remaining, please go see for yourself. ... Read more
Lady Dean
Perfect Rendition
This production of the wiz was worth every penny, we spent upwards of $500. The cast, choreography, vocal, wardrobe, the old and the new it all blended well. Atlanta really shows up and support what’s coming to our city! This is a number one affair! Count on it! African Americans are so much more than trouble. I never write reviews but this truly deserves our candor and support. âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸ and please don’t sleep on that Wizard he was the sugar honey ice TEA! Good night ATL! ... Read more
Emerald City
Ease on Down
In our family watching The Wiz with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lena Horne & Nipsey Russell was simply a pure joy. So when I was invited to see The Wiz musical I was so excited to listen to all my favorite songs live. The Wiz musical didn’t disappoint. The vocals were powerful from all, including but not limited to The Scarecrow, The Lion, The Tinman, Evillene, Glinda the Good witch, All the witches, and The Wiz all blew me away. However, one had a pair of larger shoes to fill that may have been a little too big for her. The character Dorothy was previously played by Stephanie Mills on Broadway & then played by Diana Ross in the movie version of The Wiz. In The Wiz on 5th Ave Theatre the role of Dorothy deserved to be played by someone who could sing with the same power like The Scarecrow, The Lion & The Tinman or Glinda. And here is where The Wiz simply fell short. Dorothy, while a beautiful vocalist, when singing those big songs like Home left me wanting so much more. ... Read more
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